THE ROLE OF CONSTITUENCY OFFICES IN ENHANCING DEMOCRACY AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AND THEIR ELECTORATES: THE CASE OF KABWATA CONSTITUENCY
BY
KASHIMBI LIMATA
A report submitted to the University of Zambia in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Communication for Development
THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA
LUSAKA
©2015
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Declaration
I make the declaration that this report has not been submitted for a degree at the University of Zambia or any other university before.
Name…………………………………………………….
Signature………………………………………………..
Date………………………………………………………
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Certificate of Approval
Supervisor………………………………………………..
Signature…………………………………………………
Date……………………………………………………….
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Acknowledgements
I wish to thank my supervisor, Mr. F Muzyamba for his guidance during the formulation of the research proposal and the subsequent preparation of the report. The valuable amount of time spent in guiding me will never be replaced but the knowledge gained will certainly go a long way in my humble serve to this great nation.
Acknowledgements also go the course coordinator Mr. Mukungu and other members of staff in the department of Mass Communication who imparted knowledge to me during the course of study. These include Dr. M Bwalya and Dr. S Phiri.
My gratitude also goes to Hon. Given Lubinda, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock and Member of Parliament for Kabwata Constituency for allowing me to be attached at the Constituency Office in order to have first-hand experience on the operations of the Constituency Office. My thanks also go to Mrs. Rachel Mwanagombe, the Professional Assistant and Mr. Friday Shanzala, the Administrative Assistant at Kabwata Constituency Office for providing me with the necessary information I needed during my research.
I also wish to thank all the respondents who took time off their busy schedule to complete the questionnaires which provided me with vital information for my study.
Finally I wish to thank my sisters Sepiso, Monde, Gloria, Penelope and Mulela, my brothers Jack, Steve, Michael and Silula for their support and my employers the National Assembly of Zambia for granting me the study leave in which I undertook my study. To them and all those that I have mentioned above I can only wish them well and God’s rich blessings.
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Dedication
I dedicate this degree to the two dearest people in my life. These are my parents Mr. Martin Fundweta Limata and Mrs. Alexina Malungwe Limata. May God continue to watch over them.
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Abstract
This study sought to examine the role of Kabwata Constituency Office in enhancing democracy and communication between the Member of Parliament and the constituents in Kabwata, Lusaka. The constituency offices were established as part of the parliamentary reforms which the National Assembly embarked on with the re- introduction of Multi-party democracy in 1991. The offices aim at improving the constituent-Member relations and also to enhance the representative functions of Members of Parliament.
The study was done using in depth interviews with two key stakeholders and a quantitative survey method of 100 constituents selected using clustered methodology.
The results from the study revealed that majority of the people knew of the existence of the office. However, despite this only very few had visited the constituency office. The study further revealed that this could be attributed to the lack of adequate sensitisation programmes on the existence and purpose of the office. The study revealed that more still needs to be done if the offices are to fully serve their intended purpose. The study further revealed that there was need to engage the people so that they fully understand their role in the operations of the constituency office. Enhanced sensitisation campaigns therefore, need to be undertaken. This also calls for enough resources to be allocated to the constituency offices in order for them to be able to carry out sensitisation campaigns.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item Page
Declaration ii
Certificate of Approval iii
Acknowledgments iv
Dedication v
Abstract vi
Table of Contents vii
List of Tables xi
List of Figures xiii
List of Abbreviations xiv
CHAPTER ONE-INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 General Overview of Zambia 4
1.2 Population 4
1.3 Languages 5
1.4 Administration 6
1.5 Religion 6
1.6 Political Background 6
1.7 Economy 7
1.8 Poverty 7
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1.9 Overview of the Zambian Parliament 8
1.9.1 Location 8
1.9.2 Historical Development of the Zambian Parliament 9
1.10 Overview of Kabwata Constituency 11
1.10.1 Location 11
1.10.2 Population 11
1.11 Functions of Parliamentary Constituency Offices 12
1.12 Benefits of Parliamentary Constituency Offices 13
1.13 The role of the citizenry in the operations of the Constituency
Offices 15
1.14 Problem Statement 15
1.15 Rationale for the study 15
1.16 Objectives
1.16.1 General Objective 17
1.16.2 Specific Objectives 17
1.17 Research Questions 17
1.18 Hypothesis 18
1.19 Scope of the study 18
1.20 Ethical Considerations 18
1.21 Limitations of the study 18
CHAPTER TWO- LITERATURE REVIEW
Study by Caritus Zambia on the pilot project of Constituency Offices 20
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Study by Caritus Zambia on the extent to which Constituency
Offices were answering to the connectivity needed between the electorate and parliament and the MPs on the other hand 21
Strengthening parliamentary democracy in SADC Countries, 2005
Zambia Country Report 22
The Low Road to Democratic Reform: Constituency Offices,
Public Service Provision and Citizen Engagement 23
CHAPTER THREE-CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
3.0 Introduction 26
3.1 Conceptual definitions 26
3.1.1 Democracy 26
3.1.2 Communication 28
3.1.3 Participatory Development 28
3.2 Main Theory
3.2.1 Participatory Communication Theory 29
3.3 Other theories supporting the main theory
3.3.1 Participatory Communication Appraisal 30
3.3.2 Uses and Gratification Theory 31
CHAPTER FOUR- METHODOLOGY
4.0 Introduction 33
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4.1 Research Methods 33
4.1.1 Quantitative Survey 33
4.1.2 In Depth Interview 34
4.1.3 Document Review of the visitor’s register 34
4.2 Population 34
4.3 Sample Size 35
4.4 Sampling Procedure 35
4.5 Method of data gathering 35
4.6 Data analysis 35
CHAPTER FIVE: RESEARCH FINDINGS
5.0 Introduction 37
5.1 Quantitative Survey 37
5.2 Qualitative Survey 51
5.2.1 In depth interviews 51
5.2.2 Statistical Review of the visitor’s register 54
CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
6.0 Introduction 56
6.1 Awareness of the constituents on the existence and purpose
of the Constituency Office 56
6.2 Levels of utilisation and effectiveness of the office in responding
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to the needs of the constituents 58
6.3 Extent to which people of different sex are aware of the
existence of the Constituency Office 60
6.4 Interaction of the MP and the constituents before and after
the introduction of the Constituency Offices 61
6.5 Extent to which the Constituency Office remain politically neutral 63
6.6 Nature of the channels and messages used by the MP to
communicate with the constituents 63
CHAPTER SEVEN: RECOMMENDATIONS, FUTURE RESEARCH AND CONCLUSION
7.0 Introduction 66
7.1 Recommendations 66
7.2 Future Research 67
7.3 Conclusion 68
BIBLIOGRAPHY 69
APPENDICES 73
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List of Tables
Page
Population of Kabwata Constituency according to the 2010 Census 11
Distribution of questionnaires 33
Do you know your Member of Parliament 35
Do you know the role of a Member of Parliament 36
Do you know of the Constituency Office 36
What do you think is the purpose of the Constituency Office 37
How is notification on the activities and operations of the
Constituency Office done 38
How would you prefer notifications on the operations of the operations of the Constituency Office done 39
Has the office been an access point for communication about problems of the community 40
Has the office been an access point for learning from the
Member of Parliament and the office about new ideas, programmes and new ways of doing things 40
Does the Member of Parliament give answers to questions through the office 40
Have you ever visited the Constituency Office 41
If your answer to question 22 is No, why 42
What was the nature of your visit 43
Who did you meet at the Constituency Office 43
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To what extent were you satisfied with the Constituency Office in meeting your expectation when you visited 44
To what extent has the Constituency Office enhanced communication between the constituents and the MP 45
To what extent was the communication between the MP and the constituents before the opening of the Constituency Office 45
Do you know your MP 46
Do you know of the Constituency Office 47
Have you ever visited the Constituency Office 48
If your answer to question 22 is No, why 57
To what extent has the Constituency Office enhanced
Communication between the constituents and the MP 59
To what extent was the communication between the MP and the constituents before the opening of the constituency office 59
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List of Figures
Page
Map of Zambia 5
Parliament Buildings 8
Map of Lusaka District 14
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
ANC African National Congress
ARC African Representative Council
BSAC British South African Company
CCJDP Catholic Centre for Justice, Development and Peace
CSO Central Statistical Office
ECZ Electoral Commission of Zambia
GDP Gross Domestic Product
IMF International Monetary Fund
IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union
LCMS Living Conditions Monitory Survey
MMD Movement for Multi-party Democracy
MP Member of Parliament
NPP National Progressive Party
PRMC Parliamentary Reform and Modernisation Committee
PRP Parliamentary Reform Programme
SADC Southern African Development Community
SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNIP United National Independence Party
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